Recovery Ride

Earlier in the week, I needed a break, a solo ride, an easy ride, to clear my head and legs (respectively). I decided on the North Branch Trail, a route I haven't taken in quite a while. This turned out to be an excellent choice as it had been recently repaved and the fall colors were gorgeous. It was dark on the way out, adding to the quiet and the solitude. At one point, my light reflected green in 5 pairs of eyes, deer on the trail who scampered away when I got close. As the sun came up I was able to see more of the forest and lagoons.

Another advantage of a solo ride was that when I saw an opportunity for an interesting picture, I was able stop and take it on my own time. I had to detour into a parking lot to take this shot.

I got back on the bike and continued home. As I crested a small rise I saw a deer over on my left. She stayed perfectly still as I approached and slowed down. I stopped when I was even with her and carefully reached to get my camera. I was sure the sound of it powering up would scare her away. Well, as you can see, it didn't and I was able to get a few pictures before the deer decided to run off.

I've heard it said that a true recovery ride is one that is so slow that you take a secret route so that your friends don't see you and mock how slow you are going. That secret route just might have other advantages as well.